It is known to provide a vehicle door hinge in which the hinging action of the door is checked, at an intermediate point in its opening movement, by a movement arrestor. Two examples of vehicle door hinges having such movement arrestors are described in the present applicants' European Patent Application No 87311085.2 (Publication No 275672), and co-pending UK Patent Application No 9112545.0.
In both cases, the movement arrestor mechanism (of the specific embodiment) comprises a cam surface on one hinge member and a roller mounted on the other hinge member by means of one or more springs which, in use, urge the roller against the cam surface. With the hinge in the intermediate check position, the roller engages a portion of the cam surface between two high points so that movement of the hinge out of the check position displaces the roller against the action of the spring means.
If both the roller and the cam surface are metal, the engagement of the roller with the cam surface as the hinge is closed may create irritating noise. In addition, the engagement of the roller with the cam surface may lead to wear of either of those components which may limit the useful life of the hinge.
One version of the hinge described in European Patent Application No 87311085.2 employs a hardened nylon roller which may at least mitigate these problems. However, since the nylon roller is not as robust as a metal roller, it is not suitable for use in hinges which have to exert relatively large check producing forces.